Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España

What it is

This book is a first-person memoir written in 1568 by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a soldier who took part in the Spanish expeditions into Mexico, including that led by Hernán Cortés. Written late in his life, it narrates the conquest of the Aztec Empire from a common soldier's perspective.

Why it matters

Díaz del Castillo gives one of the most detailed European descriptions of Moctezuma's appearance, dining customs, and later imprisonment. He wrote partly to challenge accounts that gave all credit to Cortés, making this a valuable but one-sided source that still shapes how Moctezuma is remembered in the West.

Look closer

• Why might a soldier's account of Moctezuma differ from a letter written by Cortés himself?
• Díaz wrote this account decades after the events — how might memory and old age affect his description?
• What does the author's criticism of Cortés tell you about tensions among the Spanish conquerors?